Failed MOT when paying for service and MOT

userdefinable

I've had a few problems with the local dealership where I bought my car 3 years ago and have since serviced and MOTed it every year.
It's now due another MOT and service and despite these issues I'm thinking of going back there, as it's the only dealership nearby and the car is still under manufacturer warranty.
Last year the car needed a new tyre to get it through the MOT, so I paid them for this. However my MOT history shows a failed test and then a passed test on the same day. Is it normal for them to give me a fail, rather than just doing the work and passing it?
I can't find the paperwork to ascertain if they charged me for two MOTs.

Alter_ego

Yep it's normal. They wouldn't charge for the retest.

userdefinable

OK great thanks for confirming, that give me some piece of mind.

foxy-stoat

No car should ever have a fail like that on its MOT history, shows you take zero notice of making sure your car is roadworthy as you would only ever replace tyres at MOT/Service time or if you were stopped by the police and get a conviction for an illegal tyre.

comeandgo

 That's a bit ridiculous to have a car fail on tyres, you should be able to check these yourself or go to a tyre dealer and ask them if your tyres are ok.

unforeseen

Years back I had a fail for an empty washer bottle. Never even thought at the time to check it

facade

userdefinable said:

my MOT history shows a failed test and then a passed test on the same day. Is it normal for them to give me a fail, rather than just doing the work and passing it?

It is to do with statistics. The whole world runs on statistics. If they don't record enough fails & advisories, whatever VOSA are called today will spot the anomaly, and mark them for Special Attention.

The simplest way to stay off the radar is for them to play it straight- a fail is a fail, an advisory is an advisory, then the numbers should match the predicted model and they bother someone else who isn't playing properly.

Penelopa.Pitstop

Unfortunately keeping these statistic means that some perfect cars get fail for some non-existent issue and then retested and owner doesn't even know about it. Happened to my classic car and I only learned about it when checking MOT history months later.

Nobbie1967

foxy-stoat said:

No car should ever have a fail like that on its MOT history, shows you take zero notice of making sure your car is roadworthy as you would only ever replace tyres at MOT/Service time or if you were stopped by the police and get a conviction for an illegal tyre.

Maybe it had a cut on the inside edge of a rear wheel? Are we all supposed to crawl under our cars with a torch each week? No need for this judgemental attitude when you don’t have the full facts at hand, but seems par for the course on here.

Mickey666

comeandgo said:

 That's a bit ridiculous to have a car fail on tyres, you should be able to check these yourself or go to a tyre dealer and ask them if your tyres are ok.

For an obviously worn tyre, I’d agree, but I recently had my car serviced and it highlighted a deep cut down to the ‘canvas’, which I believe is an MoT test failure that I wouldn’t have known about without the service.  How many drivers regularly check their tyres for such things?  I’ve since booked it in for an MoT test but have told the garage about the tyre so they can order a new one and fit it before the MoT test.

Grumpy_chap

It also depends on the order the work is done. 

If the garage do the service and then the MOT, you would expect any issues to be identified at the service and the owner given the opportunity to rectify before the MOT.

If the garage do the MOT first, the damaged / worn tyre will be recorded on the MOT and then gets addressed as part of the service before the repeat MOT.

The second approach makes some sense, particularly on older cars that may fail big time & become a "scrapper" (not that the OP's car sounds like this).  The MOT is £50 so if the car is a "scrapper" after that, no money wasted on the service costs, likely £200 or more.  Or any other repair costs.